12 September 2012
Leominster- Ludlow- New Ho- Much Wenloch- Buildwas- Eateon Constantine- Admaston (Where DO they get those names - one place we passed today seemed to be called Wig Wig ??????!!!!!!)
Miles: 50
Average Speed:
Hours:
Up : 2280
Down : 2360
So tonight we are at Mile 360 on the CTC route we are following, which puts us at about a third of the way, as near as we can tell.
The day just flew by it seems.
It started with brekky with Gerry at the hotel, and a fond farewell as she left for the drive back to London . It was truly lovely to see her, and we do appreciate her effort driving all that way. It is nice to receive all that encouragement,
Off we went across Shropshire- beautiful, rural, picturesque villages, of course - but we loved it for two other reasons - its undulating landscape, 99% of which we were able to bike, and the weather it turned on for us today - cool, clouds and sun (until the last hour when it rained) and a wind that was at our backs for most of the day. What bliss, what joy! In addition, the topography today provided us with many fabulous long downhills, followed by long flats, rather than an immediate "payback" uphill.
We did not follow our CTC route to the letter, since we have become pretty adept at choosing when to digress, manly related to suspected hills ( JST is a whiz at reading maps and ascertaining such things as the way rivers are draining, and ridges running etc). We are also getting good at judging which B roads will be ok traffic wise, because they are undoubtedly an easier ride than many of the lanes. I must say though, that when you get a lane that is not too hilly there is no nicer ride,
Ludlow was a beautiful, very prosperous old mill town, with restored wiers on the river. It was market day there.
What do you think, Alex?
I just loved this butcher's shop, and the guys inside loved that I did, as you can see by their smiles!!
We arrived at the Severn River again, much smaller of course than at its mouth when we went over the bridge on Sunday. At this stage it is very slow and winding. We met a guy going fishing but were unable to ascertain what type of fish he hoped to catch. We also noticed an Orvis store in Ludlowe.
At one point we were taking a break at the end of what we thought was a driveway. Well, it seems lime it was actually a lane, so before too long, from the top of the lane came some horseback riders, and from the lane on the opposite side of the road came one of those humongous tractors... And this is what it looked Iike from our vantage point
The best bit was that when we arrived at Admaston, we immediately found a pub which did not have rooms but they directed us to the nearby Dovecote Grange B & B, where we were greeted by the most welcoming host, Paul, who is also a biker. It is a beautifully appointed place, so now we have been back to the pub for our beer, have luxuriated in a hot bath, and sat about in a cosy robe, while outside sometimes it is raining, and sometimes the sun is shining (reminds us of home!!) And then it is off to the pub for dinner in a little while.
We are very happy campers tonight.
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